1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a smart peripheral which, from the output data taken in from an external input device, can generate a general-purpose import file which can be processed with application software in a computer device regardless of the type of application software contained in the computer device.
2. Prior Art
Computer devices, such as super computers, minicomputers, workstations, personal computers, and word processors, have come into wide spread use, and recently, networks for connecting these computer devices to each other have been enthusiastically developed.
Generally, in the fields of word processing, desk top publishing (DTP), and communications between terminals, input data of a personal computer, word processor, workstation, etc. cannot be exchanged without the use of a network environment such as a communications network or local area network.
However, with the conversion to the network system, it is necessary to provide separate application software operating in the network system and to prepare a data file which the application software can process. Even with word processors, etc. having an external input/output file generating capability, the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) method, which displays the external data prepared with different application software on the screen as a document as output by the printer without being subjected to the restrictions on the system, has not been realized.
Of course, with systems which are not capable of networking, having a document inputted in the past, it is impossible to input data written in a floppy disk with no data interchangeability and data output from a computer device having a different system environment such as the operating system and/or application software directly into another computer device, etc. as it is.
For example, if the floppy disk has no data interchangeability or an interface system for data communications is not provided, and one wants to use the word processing software in a personal computer for input-processing a document prepared with a word processor, the document data could not be taken in. Likewise, a document prepared with a workstation cannot be directly taken in a personal computer having a different system environment, such as the basic device and/or application software, for effecting editing or other processes.
When printing out is made from a computer device, and the printer control language for the printer used is not identical to the printer control language for the application software adopted by the computer device which prepared the printer output data, the printer output data cannot be printed out with the printer.
Thus, with computer devices such as personal computers, data prepared with another computer having a different application software or with commercially available software from a different software manufacturer cannot be taken in as it is, and therefore, after being printed out with a printer, it is inputted from the keyboard into the computer device with which it is to be used. In addition, when a personal computer network is utilized to give and take document data, only the character data can be handled due to the restrictions by the operating system or the application software.
Having been provided in consideration of such conventional situation, this invention intends to offer a smart peripheral which can take in the output data from an external input device and can generate a general-purpose import file that can be processed with a computer device without being restricted by the operating system, application software, or other.
Thus, this invention allows a communications network or local area network to be constructed for freely giving and taking data by communications, etc. without being subjected to the restrictions on the system or for freely printing out data on a printer regardless of the difference in printer control language.